Acetylene-gas-generating lamp



Patented Mar. I4, I899. L. S. BUFFINGTON.

AGETYLENE GAS GENERATING LAMP;

(Apphcatlon filed. Jan 18, 1897\ fizz/57a??? Ze/ y JlBqf/l/gfm.

No. 62l,2|7.

(N0 Model.)

M2772 6556 s. /WP (a ms Ncmms PETERS co, mom-urnu, WASHINGTON, o, z;

NITED TAriEs LEROY S. BUFFINGTON, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO THE I BUFFING'ION LIGHT COMPANY, OF NEW JERSEY.

ACETYLEN E GAS-G EN ERATING LAMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 621,217, dated March 14, 1899.

Application filed January 13,1897. Serial No. 6195063. (N model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEROY S. BUFFINGTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Acetylene'Gas Lamps for Bicycles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othro ers skilled in the art to-which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention has for its especial object to provide an improved acetylene-gas lamp for bicycles, but involves certain features of construction which are adapted for general use on other forms of acetylene-gas lamps or gas-generating apparatus of this general nature. 7

To the ends above noted myinvention con- 10 sists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described, and defined in the claims.

The preferred form of my present invention, shown as especially designed as a bicycle-lamp and shown as applied in working position on a bicycle, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like letters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a View in side elevation showing 0 a portion of a safety-bicycle with my improved bicycle-lamp applied in working position thereto. Fig. 2 is a similar view to Fig. 1, but illustrating a dilferent manner of mounting the lamp on the bicycle-frame. Fig. 3 is 3 5 avertical section taken substantially through the center of that portion of the lamp which I term the generator. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section through the generator, taken on the line X X of Fig. 3', looking upward. Fig. 5

is a perspective view of the sponge-holder. or holder for the absorbent material removed I from the generator; and Fig. 6 is a detail view, in vertical section,-illustratinga modified form of my improved elastic pressure-compensat- 5 ing device or equalizer.

Of the parts of the bicycle to indicates the steering-head; a, the frame braces or rods; (1. the seat; a the frontfork; (t the handlebars, and a a clamping-nut working on the upper end of the steering-head.

In the preferred form of my lamp I have illustrated the same as formed in two sections, one of whichIwill term the bulls-eye,3 and the other the generator. This bulls-eye may be of the ordinary form, as indicated at b, except that it should be provided with asmall gas-burner b. The bulls-eye is supported by means of a bracket 11 one end of which is clamped to the upper end of the steering-head a by means of the nut CW. The outer end of the bracket 1) is formed on the line of the arc of a circle and is secured to the back of the bulls-eye by means of a thumbscrew 19 working through a suitable passage in said bracket and screw-threaded into the back of said bulls-eye. In virtue of the curved form of the supporting end of the bracket b the lamp may be given any desired pitch or inclination simply by raising or lowering the same.

The chief novelty of my invention is found in the generator. Of the parts of this generator 0 indicates the case of the generator, as shown, in the form of a cylinder, provided with an upper end head 0' and a lower end head 0 The upper head 0' is shown as provided with a central opening 0 adapted to be partially closed in a manner hereinafter described, and the lower head a is provided with a central opening formed by an inter- 8o nally-screw threaded nipple 0 which is adapted to be closed by means of a screwthreaded cap-nut 0 The cylinder cis divided into an upper chamber 0 and a lower cham ber c by means of a horizontal dividing-partition a provided at its central portion with a depressed thimble portion 0 The compartment c is adapted to contain water, as indicated at z, and the compartment 0 is adapted to contain the carbid bodies a and serves as the generating-chamber.

f indicates a cylindrical or tubular valveseat casting provided with a valve-seat f running longitudinally through the same and having radial perforations f opening out- 5 ward from said valve-seat f. This valvecasting f is secured in working position to the bottom of the depending thimble portion 0 of the partition a in an axial position concentric to the center of the passage 0 in the upper cylinder-head c.

f indicates a needle-valve the stem of IOO the interior of the cap-nut c which has screw-threaded engagement f 4 with the upper portion of the valve-seat casting f, and the lower end of which terminates in a long needle-point f whichis adapted to open and close the passage in said valve-castingf, and depends a considerable distance below said casting, so as to serve as a dripping-point for the water which is fed into the generatorcompartment 0 The upper end of this valve f is provided with an annular or open head f, which works through the passage 0 and affords ready means for adjusting said valve. The opening through the center of this head f is adapted to be nearly closed by means of a removable screw-threaded plu g f provided with a small air-passage f The passage f is sufficiently large to permit atmospheric pressure to be always effective on the waters in the compartment 0, but will prevent the said water from being thrown outward therethrough under the vibrating action incident to its use on a bicycle.

9 indicates a small cylindrical holder,form ed of perforate material, adapted to telescope at its open upper end over the depending thimble portion 0 and to contain a small sponge or similar absorbent material, (indicated at y.) The said holder 9 is of a size which will pass readily through the opening in the nipple c of the lower cylinder-head c and, as shown, is held upward in its working position by means of a small stem or rod 9, depending from the bottom of said holder and resting on The important function performed by the sponge y or similar absorbent material will be fully set forth in the description of the action or operation of the lamp.

The gas which is generated in the generating-chamber c is conveyed first through a condensing-coil 7c, wound in the Water-compartment with its lower end opening through the dividing-partitions c and its upper end projecting outward through the cylindrical casing cand terminating in a coupling end or nipple k. This coupling end or nipple is connected with the receiving end of the burner 12 of the bulls-eye b by means of a small hose or flexible gas-conveying connection 73, provided with the stop-cock k by means of which the flow of gas therethrough may be stopped.

In order to keep the pressure of the gas generated and contained in the generating-chamher 0 practically constant regardless of slight variations in the speed at which the gas is generated relative to the speed at which it is used, I provide a novel equalizer or compensatin g device which is formed with an elastic portion adapted to expand and contract under slight variations in pressure, as will be hereinafter described in detail. The preferred form of my pressure-compensating device is illustrated in Figs. 1, 3, and 4:, in which construction 1) indicates a rubberbag or bulb the neck of which is removably secured, but with an air-tight joint, to an outwardly-extended nipple or extension 19 from the con densing-ooil 70. Preferably this elastic compensating or equalizing bulb p is protected by and incased inalight shield 19 removably secured to the side of the cylinder 0 by means of small screws 17 or otherwise and provided with a multiplicity of openings or air-passages p.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 6 a rubber diaphragm p is clamped with an airtight joint against the side of the cylinder 0, surrounding the opening or nipple p of the condensing-coil 7c, by means of the shield 19 and screws 1).

Directing attention again to the generatingchamber 0 it will be noted that I have placed a perforated annular guard-plate c therein a small distance below the partition and surrounding the depending thimble portion a". This guard-plate 0 while it readily permits the passage of the gas to the receiving end of the condensing-coil It, serves to hold both the carbid and the products of decomposition from being thrown against orlodging in said receiving end of the coil when the generator is turned upside down in the act of recharging the chamber 0' with carbid, an action presently to be described.

' The generator is held in working position by means of a clamp, as shown, comprising a pair of segmental clamping-sections t, pivoted to the cylinder 0 at one of their ends and securablc'together at their outer ends by means of a thumb-screw t. By means of this clamp the generator may be secured to the steering-head, as shown in Fig. 1, or to the vertical frame-rod or seat-post socket, as shown in Fig. 2.

The water-containing compartment 0 may of course be readily refilled at any time simply by removing the plug f from the valvehead f. To recharge the generating-chamber with carbid, it is, however, necessary to remove the generator from the bicycle, and after having removed the lime products,which may be readily done when the cap-nut c is removed, the generator should be turned upside down, in which position said chamber at may be readily refilled with carbid, the capnut .0 replaced in working position, and the generator rendered again ready for use.

The operation of the lamp above described when charged with water and carbid, as above set forth, will be substantially as follows: By adjusting the valve f" f the flow of the water from the chamber c into the generating-chamber 0 may be regulated to give approximately the proper speed of generation. The water which is thus allowed to flow will be dropped from the needle-pointf of the needle-valve onto the sponge y in the holder g. hen this sponge becomes moistened, the water from the same will of course rapidly evaporate into the air-space in the generating-chamber 0 The affinity or attraction between water and carbid is so intense that the earbid bodies in the generat- 6am a ing-chamber will take up the moisture evaporated from the sponge almost as fast as it is evaporated, thus constantly drying the air or gas in said generating-chamber, and consequently hastening the evaporation of water from the sponge. It will thus be seen that the particles of water which are dropped onto the sponge are by the action of evaporation brought into contact, with the carbid in infinitely small particles, or, in other words, in the form of a mist or vapor. By this manner of generating the gas without any direct contact between the carbid and the water while in a liquid form the generating action is rendered entirely free from impulses, such as are produced, for example, by dropping the water onto the carbid. izing action of the sponge the generating action is rendered so nearly perfect and unvarying that for many purposes a yielding pressure equalizing or compensating device may be entirely dispensed with. However, when the device is used as a bicycle-lamp it will be subjected to such severe shaking that in case the sponge is heavily saturated a sudden jar may cause the precipita tion of a few drops of water onto the carbid. and this would of course cause slight impulses in the speed of generation of the gas. Under this latter-noted action my improved .pressure equalizing or compensating device-that is, the rubber bulb p or diaphragm 19 as the case may bewill yield or expand so as to prevent any perceptible variation in the pressure of the confined gas under the slight impulses in the generating action. It is,however, veryimportant to note that I have provided, in connection with the absorbent or porous material which is used to convert the water into almost imperceptibly small particles before it reaches the carbid, means for supplying a graduated quantity of water to said absorbent or porous material, which graduated water-feeding device when properly regulated will prevent said material from becoming oversaturated or loaded with more water than it can hold in suspension. While I have shown a hand-set valve for controlling the water-feed, I do not limit myself to this particular construction. This elastic pressure-equalizing device, while an extremely valuable adjunct to a generator in which the evaporating sponge or absorbent material is employed, is of even more importance when used in connection with a generator in which the water is brought into contact with the carbid intermittently in small quantities or drop by drop. Again, in a generator wherein the said sponge is dispensed with the needlevalve construction illustrated will also serve a more important function-to wit, that the depending point f thereof, which projects below the valve-seat, will serve to cause the water to drop onto the carbid in extremely small or subdivided drops. This while in no sense the equivalent of the atomizing-sponge, will reduce the impulses in the generating By the atomaction as much as can possibly be done withoutvaporizing the. water.

It will be remembered that the water-containing compartment 0 is open to the atmosphere through the perforation f in the screwplug f Hence the maxim um pressure that can possibly be produced 011 the gas in the generating-chamber is that pressure which is incident to the pressure of the column of water .2. It therefore follows, since there is always a passage open through the valve-castingfduring the generating action, that whenever from any unusual cause the pressure'of the gas in the generating-chamber is raised above the maximum pressure fixed by the column of water the gas will find an escape first through the valve-seat f and perforations f into the chamber 0 and then through the passage f to the atmosphere. Such an overgeneration of gas might of course be caused by the careless setting of the needle-valve, so

,as to give a much too rapid flow of the water into the generating-chamber. Again, ifthe construction of the generator be modified so that the escape of the gas in the manner just described cannot take place the equalizing air-bulb p or diaphragm 19 would upon being expanded beyond its elastic strength be bursted or exploded. This bursting, or explosion of the elastic equalizer would of course take place long before the bursting strength of any other part of the apparatus was reached or approached and therefore serves as a safety device. The said elastic equalizing devices are of very small cost and are easily replaced.

It is thought to be obvious from the foregoin g description that the several novel devices above disclosed, while they all cooperate when combined in a single generator, may nevertheless be employed in other combinations in some cases with more and in other cases with less efficiency than in the combination specifically illustrated. It is also thought to be equally evident that not only may the said several novel devices be employed in different combinations, but that the features of construction. of these devices may themselves be Varied within the broad ideas or principles involved in the said devices, all without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Recalling attention to thedepending thimble portion a of the partition 0 itwill be noted that this thimble portion increases the altitude of the column of water z in the chamber c and renders it possible to use the water for generating purposes until the same has been lowered nearly or quite to the level of the partition 0 It is also desirable to here call attention to the fact that the statement made broadly in the specification and in certain of the claims bers are located at such relative altitudes that the water from the water-containing compart ment will under the action of gravity run into the said generating-chamber.

What I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

1. In an apparatus for generating gas from solid and liquid substances, such as carbid and water, the combination with a chamber, for the solid, of a body of absorbent orporous material within said-chamber, for distributing the liquid to the solid, and means for supplying a graduated quantity of the liquid to said absorbent or porous material, within the limit of saturation thereof, substantially as described.

2. An apparatus for generating acetylene gas, having, in combination, a chamber adapted to contain carbid and provided with a water-inlet, means for supplying water to said inlet, and a body of porous material disposed across the water inlet and extending approximately over the inlet side of said chamber, substantially as described.

3. In a generator, the'combination with the generating and water-containing compartments, located respectively, one below the other and in communication through a valved passage, of a removable perforate holder locatedin the generating-chamber immediately below said valved passage, and a sponge or body of absorbent material located in said perforate holder, substantially as described.

4. In a generator, the combination with the generating and water-containing compartments, of a needle-valve seat opening communication between said compartments, a needle-valve in said valve-seat, a removable cap in the lower end of the generating-chamher, a perforate holder in said generatingehamber, located below said needle-valve and held in place by said removable cap, and a sponge or similar absorbent material held in said perforate holder, substantially as described.

5. In an apparatus for generating gas from a solid and a liquid substance, such as carbid and water, the combination with a chamber for the solid, a water-inlet passage opening into the upper portion of said chamber, and means for supplying water to said inlet, of a body of absorbent or porous material within said chamber, located in position to receive the water discharged from said inlet, and to distribute the same to the carbid, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a generatingchamber adapted to contain a solid gas-producer, such as carbid, of a liquid-containing chamber having an opening above its liquidlevel, which chambers are in communication with each other through a feed-passage that permits a flow in either direction, and are in such vertical relation that the water will be gravity-fed into said generating-chamber and said feed-passage will serve as an escape-passage to deliver over-generations of gas through the liquid of said liquid-containing chamber, substantially as described.

7. The combination with the generating and water-containing compartments located respectively, one below the other and separated by a horizontal dividing-partition with depending thimble portion, of a valve-seat opening through the bottom of said thimble portion, a removable cap in the bottom of said generating compartment, a perforate holder insertible through the bottom of said generating-chamber, adapted to telescope at its upper end with said depending thimble portion and provided with asupporting-finger depending from its bottom and engageable with the inner face of said removable cap, substantially as described.

8. In a generator, the combination with the generating and watercontaining compartments, located respectively, one below the other, and separated by a horizontal dividing-partition, of a needle-valve seat opening through said dividing-partition, and a needle-valve working in said valve-seat and pro= vided with a depending conical or needle point which projects below said valve -seat and serves as a dripping-point for the feed-water, substantially as described.

0. In a bicycle-lamp, the combination with the generator involving the chambers c and a separated by the partition 0 with depending thimble 0 the needle-valve seat f in the casting f, the needle-valve f f f working in said valve-seat, the perforated holder 1 containing the sponge y, the pipe-section opening through the partition 0 the rubber bulb p in communication with the generatingchamber 0 the perforated shield 19 p incasing said bulb c, and the removable cap 0 in.

the bottom of said chamber 0 of the bullseye 11 provided with the burner 19' which is connected with the said pipe-section 70 by means of the hose or pipe 70 substantially as described.

10. A gas-generator comprising in combination, a generating-chamber, aliquid-chamber above the generating-chamber and a water-passage connecting said chamber packed with porous material extending from the liquid-chamber to the generating-chamber.

11. In a gas-generator,the combination of a generating-chamber, a liquid-chamber above the generating-chamber, an outlet for the liquid to pass from its chamber into the generating-chamber, and a cylindrical or tubular holder for a porous packing through which the liquid percolates, said cylinder or tube extending from the liquid-outlet into the generating-chamber, and said packing extending throughout the length of the same.

12. In a generator for acetylene gas, the combination of a carbid-receptacle, a liquidchamber above the receptacle, a pipe or tube extending from the liquid-chamber into the carbid-receptacle, through which pipe or tube ICC the Water passes, and a packing of porous material contained within said pipe or tube and extending from the Water-inlet to the outlet of the same, said packing being adapted to retard the passage of the liquid.

13. In a generator for acetylene gas, the. combination of a carbid-receptacle, a liquidchamber above the same, a pipe or tube extending from the liq uid-chamber into the carbid-receptacle through which pipe or tube the liquid passes, a valve between said pipe or tube and the liquid-chamber, and a packing of porous material contained Within the pipe or tube and extending from said Valve to the 

